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[levs]

hi, im running a boat with 6v 4.5 ah sla batterys, i need some sort of charge meter to show the level left in them, i.e green, amber, red. would the rx meters you can buy do this job? and were do you buy them?

thanks for your help
still learning!
levs

[Mark47]

I use a multimeter. You'll pick one up on Ebay for a fiver.

[malcolmfrary]

Saw a load on AMW's stand at about £4.50 today.
The RX meters are for a very different application, and not much help at all.  While the voltage CAN indicate charge, it is not a good indicator for SLA's, as the voltage doesn't drop that much before it isn't really useful.  Most of us just do it the empirical way - we leave the battery on charge until the charger says it can't put any more in,then,in use, watch the boat performance.  When it slows down, its time to come in.  Voltage is only part of the story - the other part is how much current the battery can deliver.

[hmsantrim]

 Hi levs.
              What you are looking for is something like this a battery tester. it just shows you how much juice you have left in the battery.
                Its nothing to do with volts or amps or anything you need electrical knowledge to operate, it just gives you a rough idea if
                 you have enough stored energy left in the battery for another days sail or is it time for the battery to go on charge.

                    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wolf-Battery-Condition-Tester-BNIB_W0QQitemZ250654651267QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=131698527216&rvr_id=131698527216&cguid=b182391012a0a47a2666fc46fff43ff5

                                                         cheers Frank

[malcolmfrary]

Looks like an automotive battery checker.  Probably for 12 volts.  Probably for much larger batteries, looking at the size of the clips and the ventilation around the load element.  The digital multimeter is a much better buy, it costs less and in learning to use it you get a useful skill.

[rathikrishna]

Hai..friend..you can use any small meter, works in milli amperes, can used to read battery state...means, VU, Range, Battery, meters can be used for same purpose.for that you need only a smaller electronic circuit, wired around a transistor, costs around a dollar.after wiring, you can connect a good battery, at first, along with your multi meter, to understand the exact position, of needle at a particular voltage.keep this point in your mind, or you can mark it on panel,so the next time you can simply read all battery voltages from your battery, from 1.5 to 24 volts.i will post the circuit here on next day. as now i am in office. thank you..